A Gentle Stampede

I waddled out from the woven basket and stopped beside a wooden toy train left on the rug. Three little timber cars sat connected by tiny metal pegs. I tilted my head, gave the blue engine a gentle nudge with my round middle, and watched. Click-clack, rumble-rumble. The little train glided across the tight wool weave, curving smoothly around the leg of an armchair. I rolled forward to chase it, pressing my tummy against the caboose until the whole line made a neat semi-circle. It stopped with a soft wooden thud against a book spine.